News

By Ceri Jenkins
Visionary local governments are broadening their focus to ensure that city planning and services meet the needs of residents across generations. By 2040, half our population will be either under 18 or over 65. Currently few cities sufficiently meet residents’ needs across their

By Robbie Webber
Although some bicyclists are willing to ride on any road and under any conditions to get to their destination, the vast majority do not feel comfortable mixing with higher speed traffic and watching out for turning cars. A 2012 Mineta Transportation Institute study examined the

By Chris Spahr
Two federal agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, do not agree on the assessment of the environmental impacts of raising the Bayonne Bridge from 150 feet of clearance to 215 feet of clearance over the Kill Van Kull between Bayonne, NJ, and

By Mary Ebeling
During the era of interstate highway construction, and the resulting demographic shift from city to suburb, municipalities worked to provide auto access to their downtowns, hoping this access would support economic growth. However, mounting evidence shows that greater automobile

by Eric Sundquist
The Washington State DOT currently has six statutory goals: economic vitality, preservation, safety, mobility, environment, and stewardship. H.B. 1233, introduced by a Tacoma legislator whose day job is with the county health department, would add health as a seventh

By Eric Sundquist and Bill Holloway
Last week’s release of the Texas A&M Urban Mobility Report, with its charts and lists, prompted the usual flurry of general interest media coverage. This year’s report, however, carries more importance than usual, as it comes at a time when FHWA is

By Bill Holloway
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is now taking slugs—otherwise known as “casual carpoolers”—into account when designing commuter parking lots. Although Virginia law prohibits people from soliciting rides on the side of the road, when it comes to slugging,

By Mary Ebeling
Many agencies have been slow to adopt a Public Private Partnership (P3) model for transportation and infrastructure financing. As traditional revenue sources dry up, governments at all levels are taking an increasingly hard look at using a P3 funding model. P3s offer enormous

By Chris Spahr
The debate over one-way versus two-way streets has been ongoing for more than half a century in American cities. Counter to prevailing engineering wisdom, a new study finds two-way streets may be more efficient, if one is measuring getting people to their destinations.
Many cities

By Robbie Webber
As research on connected vehicle technology has advanced, writers have hailed the potential impact on traffic congestion and questioned the safety for non-motorized users of the roadways. But “talking cars” may also be a boon to bus rapid transit (BRT) as well.
For a BRT line